Slotless card reader

ABSTRACT

A portable smart card reader for reading and displaying information stored on a smart card comprising a thin housing having an upper surface and a lower surface, a flexible cover affixed to and spaced from the lower surface a plurality of electrical contacts affixed to the lower surface, a reader circuit contained within the housing and connected to the electrical contacts and a display on the housing connected to the reader circuit. A smart card can be placed against the contacts and the circuit can read information stored on the smart card and display the information. Since the reader has no slot with a rigid lower portion, the reader is thin and more easily carried.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/342,467, filed Nov. 21, 1994 now Pat. No. 5,517,011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to readers for smart cards and, in particular, toa reader that can read such a card without the traditional slot intowhich the card is inserted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smart cards have become widespread as the uses for such cardsmultiplies. Subway riders can now purchase a card with a desired valueprogrammed into the card, with the stored value decreasing by an amountequal to the fare each time the user uses the card to gain access to thesubway system. Similar cards are used in vending machines, allowingusers to carry one card to use for all their vending purchases insteadof needing change or single dollars. The programmed amount on the cardis reduced each time a purchase is made. Prepaid telephone smart cardsare also popular.

Furthermore, smart cards that do not store cash information can also beused. For example, drivers licenses can store personal or medical data,etc.

One disadvantage with smart cards is that the user has no easy way ofdetermining the data that is stored on the card unless he or sheremembers it. If the user forgets, then he or she must normally go to amachine that accepts such cards to find out what is stored on the card(e.g., the amount of money that is left on the card.).

Portable card readers have been developed to allow a user to more easilydetermine the remaining value on all the cards in his or her possession.Such a reader, for example, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,830 toMasuzawa et al. and features a reader having a slot into which the cardis inserted, electronic reading circuits for reading the informationstored on the card and a display for displaying the read information tothe user. Although the Masuzawa device is small enough to be portable,it is, nevertheless, too large for many users to carry it around withthem on a regular basis. Furthermore, the slot on such a device trapsdirt and debris which can eventually render the device inoperative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages of the prior art have been overcome by the presentinvention which features a portable card reader that is smaller thanprior card readers and includes no slot to trap dirt etc.

In one aspect, the invention features a portable smart card reader forreading and displaying information stored on a smart card, the readercomprising: a housing having an upper surface and a lower surface; aplurality of electrical contacts affixed to the lower surface; a readercircuit contained within the housing and connected to the electricalcontacts; and a display on the housing and connected to the readercircuit; wherein a smart card can be placed against the contacts and thecircuit can read information stored on the smart card and display theinformation.

In preferred embodiments, the reader includes a switch for activatingthe reader when a smart card is placed against the contacts on theexposed lower surface, the switch being activated when pressure isdirectly applied by the user both to an upper surface of the switch andto the lower surface of the smart card (e.g., by squeezing the readerand smart card together).

The electrical contacts preferably protrude from the exposed lowersurface of the reader and, when a smart card is placed against thecontacts, the contacts retract toward the housing. The exposed lowersurface can be wider than a smart card to be read, and include guidesprotruding from the bottom surface to guide the smart card to positioncontacts on the surface of the smart card against the contacts on thelower surface.

The switch can be positioned on the upper surface and is aligned withthe contacts on the lower surface. Furthermore, the switch can, when itis depressed, cause the contacts to protrude further away from the lowersurface.

Acccordingly, the invention is a slotless card reader where all of thecircuitry for reading is positioned above the card being read. Sincethere is no traditional slot, the reader can be made substantiallythinner and there is no danger of objects or debris being trapped in theslot.

Other advantages will be apparent to those of skill in the art from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective overhead view of a slotless reader of a firstembodiment of the invention positioned over a smart card.

FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the reader and smart card of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the reader ad smart card ofFIGS. 1 and 2 with the card contacting the reader.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the reader and smart card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a smart card reader 10 is shown positioned aboveand spaced from a smart card 11. The smart card 11 is any standard smartcard that stores information and includes a plurality of contact pads 12which are used by the reader to access the stored information. Reader 10includes a housing 14, having an upper surface 16 and a lower surface 18(see FIG. 2). A display 20 and a switch 22 are positioned on uppersurface 16.

Bottom surface 18 of reader 10 is shown in FIG. 2 and includeselectrical contacts 24 that correspond to the contacts on smart card 11,as explained further below. Contacts 24 normally protrude slightly frombottom surface 18. Bottom surface 18 also has guides 26, 28, 30 thatprotrude from surface 18 at the edges thereof to guide card 11 when itis placed against bottom surface 18 of reader 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates the placement of reader 10 against smart card 11 suchthat contacts 24 on reader 10 touch contacts 12 on smart card 11. Guides26, 28 and 30 help to position card 11 such that a good contact is madebetween the respective electrical contacts 12, 24. Note that contacts24, which are normally biased to protrude slightly away from surface 18are pressed back forward surface 18 and into housing 14 when smart card11 is pressed against reader 10.

The inside of housing 14 of reader 10 includes a circuit board 32containing standard circuitry for reading information stored on smartcard 11 via the electrical connection established by contacts 12, 24.The reader is activated by pressing down on switch 22 to bring aconductive pad 36 of switch 22 into contact with a conductive grid 38.Note that this type of switch is well known to those skilled in the art.

To use the reader, the user simply places the smart card against thereader and squeezes the card and reader together by, e.g., placing histhumb over switch 22 and his index finger on the bottom of smart card11. As the user squeezes, switch 22 will be activated to deliver powerto circuit board 32 from a suitable power source (not shown).Information stored on the smart card is read and displayed on display 20(see FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shownin cross-section and features a reader 110 having a switch 122 that,when depressed, causes contacts 124 to be pressed more firmly againstcontacts 12 on smart card 11. Specifically, switch 122 includes an uppermovable pad 140 that is connected to a membrane 142. A second membrane144 is connected to the bottom of membrane 142, with a conductive grid138 on the upper surface of membrane 144. A conductive pad 136 is on thebottom surface of pad 140.

When pad 140 is squeezed by a user to push it downward in FIG. 4,conductive pad 136 will contact conductive grid 138 to activate acircuit board 132 as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. However, squeezingon pad 140 will also cause membranes 142, 144 to be deflected downward,which will cause contacts 124 to be more firmly pressed against thecorresponding contacts 12 on smart card 11. When the reader is not inuse, the contacts 124 need not protrude from the reader.

The invention can take many shapes, and is not limited to therectangular embodiments described above. For example, FIG. 5 illustratesanother embodiment of the invention, with a reader 210 placed over smartcard 11 to display the information on smart card 11 on a display 220. Aswitch 222 activates the reader.

The FIG. 5 embodiment is even smaller than previous embodiments and ishere shown attached to a key chain 300. (This is sometimes referred toas a key chain "FOB".)

The above description is illustrative of the invention only and otherembodiments within the scope and spirit of the appended claims. Forexample, a number of different types of switches may be used with theinvention, including a "snap action" membrane switch, which uses astainless steel or spring metal disc that "snap" when pressed to give atactile feel. In such a switch, the steel spring disc is pressed againsta grid pattern on a circuit, shorting the pads, which then completes thecircuit (similar to the simple membrane switch shown if FIGS. 3-4).

Other types of switches that could be used include a rubber tactileswitch, where a rubber or similar material is molded into a key shapewhich is loosely attached to a thin rubber "skirt." When pressed, thekey can move in relation to the skirt. A conductive pad is located onthe underside of the key, and this pad shorts a rid pattern when the keyis pressed, similar to the switches discussed above.

The switch can also be located on the bottom side of the reader, so thatwhen the smart card and the reader are pressed together, the smart carditself activates the switch, instead of the thumb activating the switch.A switch can also be used that combines the contacts and switch functioninto the same device. In other words, the movement of the contacts intothe housing of the reader when the smart card is pressed against thereader can activate the switch.

Finally,as shown in FIG. 6, the reader of the invention may include sometype of plastic cover, including a cover 310 that extends away from thebottom surface of the reader to, in effect create a soft slot forplacement of the smart card. This type of slot, of course, is not atraditional slot in that it will not have a rigid bottom, and is notnecessary for reader function. It will merely serve to provide an extrameasure of protection for the reader contacts. When not in use such aplastic cover 310 would collapse toward the reader, thereby taking uplittle space. It could also be removed from the reader by the user forcleaning.

Other modifications to the present invention are within the spirit ofthe appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A method for activating a smart card readercomprising:inserting a smart card into a gap in said reader, said gapbeing formed by a lower surface of said reader and a flexible coveraffixed to and spaced from said lower surface; and applying pressure tosaid flexible cover thereby moving said smart card toward said lowersurface of said reader.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step ofapplying pressure to said flexible cover causes a plurality ofelectrical contacts affixed to said lower surface of said reader tocontact corresponding contacts on said smart card.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising reading data from said smart card anddisplaying said data on a display device.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein said reader comprises an upper surface having a switch andwherein said method further comprises applying pressure to said switchduring said step of applying pressure to said flexible cover.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein said step of applying pressure to said switchcauses a plurality of electrical contacts affixed to said lower surfaceof said reader to protrude out from said lower surface of said reader.6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrical contactsaffixed to said lower surface of said reader are movably recessed insaid lower surface of said reader and wherein said method furthercomprises applying pressure to an upper surface of said reader duringsaid step of applying pressure to said flexible cover thereby causingsaid plurality of electrical contacts of said reader to more firmlycontact corresponding contacts on said smart card.